Golden Gaze
by goshinote
Summary: They say eyes are the window to the soul; a golden-eyed, dog-eared hanyo is no exception. InuKag. One-Shot.


Hello, everyone! I've always loved stories about Inuyasha's eyes, whether it's the depth of the golden color or how he looks when he's deep in thought or anything else like that! I've never read a story from this angle, so don't worry; I'm not copying anyone :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or its characters. All rights to Rumiko Takahashi.

**Golden Gaze**

Kagome would always remember seeing Inuyasha's eyes for the first time.

When she'd first seen him in his pinned state at the Goshinboku, his eyes had been closed. All Kagome had seen was his long, silver hair framing the peaceful expression on his face. No lines of worry, stress, or even dream-induced emotion played on his features.

His face looked so young and vulnerable, almost even boyish, as if he were in a quiet slumber rather than rendered unconscious under a seal. Quite honestly, he looked like an angel.

She had marveled at his ears, even daring to climb up the root of the Goshinboku to touch them.

At fifteen-years-old, it was the first time she'd really _noticed_ the looks of a boy. Sure, she'd thought boys at school were cute sometimes, but they didn't compare to the level of curiosity and awe she felt looking at this dog-eared, slumbering boy.

Once he had awoken, Kagome saw a very different side of him.

Despite the still youthful features of his face, his eyes were completely different.

The golden color held obvious years of life and pain untold, as if he were much older than he looked. Kagome caught a glimpse of that secret pain and confusion in his eyes before he covered it up with an evil-looking smirk and harsh words.

But those eyes. They never lied.

As time passed, Kagome found that the best way she could gage his emotions was to just simply look into his eyes. Try as he might, he was never able to hide anything from her. It didn't matter how much he yelled, how rude he was, or how hard he tried to act like something didn't bother or upset him. Kagome always knew.

When he transformed into a demon and killed a group of human bandits, he said he didn't care about what he had done.

One look into his eyes told Kagome how much it was eating away at him and how much he regretted something he couldn't even remember.

Whenever Kikyo's soul collectors would summon him, Kagome could always see the internal conflict raging in his eyes as he would take in her silent, typically unvoiced hurt feelings that were always pointed out by the other companions in their small group. Kagome could see Inuyasha's own hurt in his eyes when the others would scold him about leaving, so she tried to remain calm in most circumstances. Her mistakes lay in her emotions often getting the best of her and not sticking up for him like she should have.

Every time something happened to her or she was put in danger, he would scold her or give her a hard time by saying he was always having to save her. In his eyes, Kagome could see the deep concern he had for her and that he was truly afraid to lose her. Those were the only times she saw fear in his eyes. It warmed her heart but also guilted her at the same time.

She saw rage, hatred for enemies, a brotherly affection for Shippo, friendship for Miroku and Sango, and an uneasy self-doubt in his eyes often enough.

There were times when he finally let his guard down enough for her to see the childish innocence that he very rarely showed or the softening gaze he would set on her when she returned from her home in the future. He couldn't hide it from her.

There was only one emotion that she began to see in his eyes as they continued on their travels to find all of the shards of the Shikon Jewel. As time went on, she noticed the familiar look more and more, but she could never put it into words or quite decipher what it was. The only thing she really knew was that when she caught him with that look in his eyes, he was quick to look away and get defensive.

_Keh, what are you looking at, pesky woman?_

There was never any true malice behind his harsh tone.

Kagome never answered when he asked, instead choosing to just let it go.

During their travels, she didn't ever voice her curious wonderings, so she never found out.

It wasn't until almost four years later, when she found herself whisked back to the past after a three-year separation, that she got her answer.

The night she returned, she and Inuyasha snuck to the Goshinboku. They stayed there deep into the night as they talked about what they had done during the separation.

More than a few times, occasional murmurs of _I missed you so much_ passed between them.

She started to see the old and familiar look in his eyes as his hands began to wander over her and her heartbeat picked up. It started with a simple taking of her hands in his before his clawed fingers trailed upward to her shoulders before stopping to rest gently on her neck.

His thumbs gently stroked her skin as his eyes remained trained on hers.

It was just before he kissed her, when his hands came up to gently cup her cheeks and his thumbs slowly rubbed over them. He tilted her head back slightly to look straight down at her, and that's when Kagome saw the emotion she could never quite name.

The moment before he leaned down to meet her lips, he murmured, _I love you_.

During that kiss, Kagome realized it was love that she had seen in his eyes. For so long, Inuyasha had loved her. She had loved him, too, of course, but she could remember seeing the look in his golden eyes a few times even _before_ she'd realized her feelings.

So that meant…

Kagome decided to not ponder it, instead choosing to reach up and wrap her arms around Inuyasha's neck.

She was here, and they were together. Nothing else mattered.

All because she'd looked into his golden gaze.

**FIN**.

Let me know if you liked it :)

Much love.


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